Method and apparatus for limb circumference measurement

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining a first plurality of circumference measurements, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a first circumference around a limb of a person at a respective one of a plurality of locations of the limb, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements being obtained from a respective one of a plurality of elastic measurement elements that is positioned at a respective one of the locations; determining, based upon the first plurality of circumference measurements, a first geometric profile along a length of the limb; and outputting data representing the first geometric profile. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/656,527, filed Jul. 21, 2017. All sections of the aforementionedapplication(s) and/or patent(s) are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for limbcircumference measurement.

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals sometimes use tape measurements and/or calipersto measure arm and leg circumference. This can be inaccurate and proneto user error (for example, accuracy and errors may depend upon theperson performing the measurement and/or the location on the limb wherethe device is applied).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict an illustrative embodiment of a device formeasurements related to a lower leg (FIG. 1A shows an outside left footview and FIG. 1B shows an inside left foot view);

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B depict an illustrative embodiment of an upperarm cuff device;

FIG. 4A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B;

FIG. 4B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B;

FIG. 4C depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system that can be usedin the context of obtaining, displaying and storing measurements;

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C depict illustrative embodiments of a geometricprofile of a limb of a person as presented on a display;

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict illustrative embodiments of measurement devices;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for measurement of limb circumference (and/or diameter).Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a sleeve (forexample, in the form of a sock or a cuff) that fits around a limb of apatient. The sleeve can be radially expandable and the sleeve can havetherein and/or thereon elastic members that measure a circumference(and/or diameter) of the sleeve at a plurality of locations (therebydetermining the circumference (and/or diameter) of the limb at theplurality of locations).

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a device used for measuringcircumference (and/or diameter) of the lower leg (e.g., foot, ankleand/or calf). In other embodiments, the device can be configured for useon an arm (and/or on other body parts). In the embodiment shown in FIG.1, a knit fabric sock (e.g., comprising cotton and/or other knitfabrics) contains interwoven conductive knit fabric strips (114A, 114B,114C, 114D, 114E, 114F, 114G and 114H), conductive thread (showngenerally in the figure as 108), and an electronics unit 104. Both theknit fabric and the conductive knit fabric strips (114A-114H) areelastic and pliable. The conductive knit fabric strips (114A-114H) areinterwoven into the knit fabric in such a way that each of theconductive knit fabric strips (114A-114H) mostly circumnavigates thelower leg, except for an arc segment (see each of the gaps formedbetween ends of the conductive knit fabric strips in FIG. 1A). In thisexample, eight strips of conductive knit fabric are interwoven into theknit fabric (in other examples, any desired number of conductive knitfabric strips may be used). Each arc segment associated with each of theconductive knit fabric strips creates the two poles (high pole for eachconductive knit fabric strip and ground pole for each conductive knitfabric strip). Each pair of poles (associated with each conductive knitfabric strip) can be used as points from which to measure the resistancealong the respective conductive knit fabric strip. Each arc segment (orgap) also allows for conductive thread (carrying, for example, currentassociated with a given high pole of a given one of the conductive knitfabric strips) to pass along the length of the sock, to connect themultiple conductive knit fabric strips to the electronics unit. Each ofthe ground poles of the conductive knit fabric strips may be connectedvia a ground thread to one another (and to the electronics unit).

The electronics unit 104 comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU), acommunication module (COM), a display (e.g., an organic light-emittingdiode (OLED)), and a battery. The MCU can be capable of processingmultiple analog channels (in this example, eight would be used). Inanother example, the MCU can work in conjunction with an analogmultiplexer chip. In other examples, higher or lower number of analogchannels can be used. Along with the MCU, multiple internal resistorsare connected in series with the conductive knit fabric strips (e.g.,one resistor per strip), in order to create a voltage divider. The COMcan be of any desired communication protocol, for example, BLE(Bluetooth Low Energy), WIFI, and/or LTE (Long-Term Evolution). The COMcan transmit the measurements from the MCU to a remote device (e.g., amobile or a stationary device) and/or to the cloud (e.g., via theInternet) for further analysis, display and/or storage. The display ofthe electronics unit 104 can show calculated circumference values (e.g.,in response to triggers from the MCU). The battery (BAT), can power theMCU, the display, and COM, as well as provide the voltage differentialbetween each high and ground pole of a respective conductive knit fabricstrip, along the voltage divider with the internal resistors.

As the leg morphology changes, each conductive knit fabric strip willexpand or compress around the leg. As the conductive knit fabric stripschange in dimension, they will report different resistance values. TheMCU will interpret these resistance value changes into changes incircumference at the location of each conductive knit fabric strip. Themultiple circumference values along the length of the sock can giveinsight into the limb's morphology changes in response to (for example)swelling, leg movements, or other differential measurements. Increasingthe number of conductive knit fabric strips can give higher resolutionrepresentations of leg morphology.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, a cuff device 202 (comprisingmeasurement unit 206) is shown in its baseline (or normal) state (seeFIGS. 2A and 2B) and in its measurement (or swollen) sate (see FIGS. 3Aand 3B). As seen, the cuff device 202 is configured for placement on anarm 208 of a patient. The cuff device 202 utilizes resistive elastomers(see the four elements in FIG. 2A depicted as horizontal bars, the fourelements in FIG. 2B depicted as vertical bars, the four elements in FIG.3A depicted as horizontal bars and the four elements in FIG. 3B depictedas vertical bars). The elastomers change their resistance as they arebeing extended and relaxed. The change in resistance can be correlatedto extent of extension. A number of elastic resistors are connected inparallel in order to obtain extent of extension at multiple points alonga limb (that is, along arm 208 in FIGS. 2B and 3B). In FIGS. 2B and 3Buse on an upper arm is shown. In other embodiments, the device can beconfigured for use on a leg (and/or on other body parts). The elasticresistors will stretch in response to swelling of the upper arm. Theamount of swelling can be correlated to the extent of extension in eachelastomer by creating a profile (e.g., correlating limb size toelastomer extension). The circumference value around the limb (upper armin this example) is determined (e.g., estimated) from each elastomer'smeasured extension value. The circumference values create a geometricalprofile along the limb (in this example, the upper arm). In one example,each of the resistive elastomers can be anchored at a first end tomeasurement unit 206 and at a second end to anchor member 204. Theanchoring arrangement can permit placement of the ends of the resistiveelastomers at appropriate locations to provide a desired amount ofextension/contraction and/or to permit measurement of larger or smallerlimbs.

FIG. 4A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B. While forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes areshown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 4A, it is to beunderstood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Still referring to FIG. 4A, method 400 begins at step 402 with obtaininga first plurality of circumference measurements, each of the firstplurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a firstcircumference around a limb of a person at a respective one of aplurality of locations of the limb, each of the first plurality ofcircumference measurements being obtained from a respective one of aplurality of elastic measurement elements that is positioned at arespective one of the locations. Method 400 then continues at step 404with determining, based upon the first plurality of circumferencemeasurements, a first geometric profile along a length of the limb.Method 400 then continues at step 406 with outputting data representingthe first geometric profile.

Still referring to FIG. 4A, method 400 can include step 408, ofobtaining a second plurality of circumference measurements, each of thesecond plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a secondcircumference around the limb of the person at the respective one of theplurality of locations of the limb, wherein the first plurality ofcircumference measurements are obtained at a first time, wherein thesecond plurality of circumference measurements are obtained at a secondtime, and wherein the second time is after the first time. This branchof method 400 then continues at step 410 with determining, based uponthe second plurality of circumference measurements, a second geometricprofile along the length of the limb. This branch of method 400 thencontinues at step 412 with comparing the second geometric profile to thefirst geometric profile to generate difference data between the secondgeometric profile and the first geometric profile (as seen by the dashedline in FIG. 4A, the first geometric profile can be obtained at step 412from step 404). This branch of method 400 then continues at step 414with outputting the difference data.

FIG. 4B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B. While forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes areshown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 4B, it is to beunderstood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Still referring to FIG. 4B, method 430 begins at step 432 withobtaining, from a first elastic measurement element, a first valuerepresentative of a first expanded circumference of a sleeve at a pointin time when the sleeve is disposed on a limb of a person. Method 430then continues at step 434 with obtaining, from a second elasticmeasurement element, a second value representative of a second expandedcircumference of the sleeve at the point in time when the sleeve isdisposed on the limb of the person. Method 430 then continues at step436 with obtaining, from a third elastic measurement element, a thirdvalue representative of a third expanded circumference of the sleeve atthe point in time when the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person.Method 430 then continues at step 438 with determining, based upon thefirst value, the second value, and the third value, a geometric profilealong the length of the limb. Method 430 then continues at step 440 withoutputting data representing the geometric profile.

FIG. 4C depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B. While forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes areshown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 4C, it is to beunderstood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Still referring to FIG. 4C, method 460 begins at step 462 with obtaininga first value representative of a first expanded circumference of asleeve at a point in time when the sleeve is disposed on a limb of aperson, wherein the first value is obtained from a first elasticmeasurement element that is attached to the sleeve at a first locationalong a length of the sleeve, the first elastic measurement elementtraversing a portion of the first expanded circumference of the sleeve.Method 460 then continues at step 464 with obtaining a second valuerepresentative of a second expanded circumference of the sleeve at thepoint in time when the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person,wherein the second value is obtained from a second elastic measurementelement that is attached to the sleeve at a second location along thelength of the sleeve, the second elastic measurement element traversinga portion of the second expanded circumference of the sleeve. Method 460then continues at step 466 with obtaining a third value representativeof a third expanded circumference of the sleeve at the point in timewhen the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person, wherein the thirdvalue is obtained from a third elastic measurement element that isattached to the sleeve at a third location along the length of thesleeve, the third elastic measurement element traversing a portion ofthe third expanded circumference of the sleeve. Method 460 thencontinues at step 468 with determining, based upon the first value, thesecond value, and the third value, a geometric profile along the lengthof the limb. Method 460 then continues at step 470 with outputting datarepresenting the geometric profile.

Referring now to FIG. 5, depicted is an illustrative embodiment of asystem 500 that can be used in the context of obtaining, displaying andstoring measurements. As seen, measurement device 502 (such as a sleeve,sock or cuff as described herein) can be in communication with remotedevice 504 (in this example, the remote device 504 is remote in thesense that it is a different device than measurement device 502; theremote device 504 could, for example, be used in the same room asmeasurement device 502 or in a different room and/or a differentbuilding). The communication with remote device 504 can bebi-directional communication. The communication with remote device 504can comprise wireless communication (e.g., BLE, WIFI, and/or LTE). Theremote device 504 can be a tablet, a laptop computer, a desktop computerand/or another mobile device such as a smartphone. Remote device 504 candisplay on a display screen thereof data provided from the measurementdevice 502. Remote device 504 can provide operating instructions tomeasurement device 502. Remote device 504 can receive one or more alerts(e.g., alerts relating to measured values and/or measurement parameters)from measurement device 502.

Still referring to FIG. 5, measurement device 502 can be incommunication with server 506. The communication with server 506 can bevia a network (e.g., the Internet). The communication with server 506can be bi-directional communication. The communication with server 506can comprise wireless communication (e.g., Ethernet, WIFI, and/or LTE).The communication with server 506 can be web-based. The measurementdevice 502 can provide to server 506 measurement data. Server 506 candisplay on a display screen thereof the measurement data from themeasurement device 502. Server 506 can provide operating instructions tomeasurement device 502. Server 506 can be in communication (e.g.,bi-directional communication) with storage 508 (e.g., disk storageand/or solid-state storage). Storage 508 can store thereon measurementdata received by server 506.

Still referring to FIG. 5, remote device 504 can be in communicationwith server 506. The communication with server 506 can be via a network(e.g., the Internet). The communication with server 506 can bebi-directional communication. The communication with server 506 cancomprise wireless communication (e.g., Ethernet, WIFI, and/or LTE). Thecommunication with server 506 can be web-based. The remote device 504can provide to server 506 measurement data (e.g., measurement data thathad been received by remote device 504 from measurement device 502).Server 506 can display on a display screen thereof the measurement datareceived from the remote device 504. Server 506 can provide operatinginstructions to remote device 504.

Still referring to FIG. 5, monitor 510 can be in communication withserver 506. Monitor 510 can be any device that provides graphical output(e.g., a computer and/or computer system). The communication with server506 can be via a network (e.g., the Internet). The communication withserver 506 can be bi-directional communication. The communication withserver 506 can comprise wireless communication (e.g., Ethernet, WIFI,and/or LTE). The communication with server 506 can be web-based. Themonitor 510 can receive from server 506 measurement data. In onespecific example, the measurement data received by monitor 510 can be inthe form of an aggregated data set comprising data from a plurality of(e.g., all) patients. Monitor 510 can display on a display screenthereof the data set (e.g., in graphical form).

In one embodiment, the monitor 510 can provide the ability for aclinician to view data from a specific measurement device (e.g.,selected from a plurality of measurement devices), pulled from theserver 506 in real-time and/or through storage 508. In one embodiment,the monitor 510 can be used for visualization of the data in graph/tableform.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, a display 602 (e.g., on a computer monitor, atablet or the like) presents a geometric profile 601 of a limb of aperson. The geometric profile 601 is defined by distances 604A, 604B,604C and 604D (see the dashed lines in FIG. 6A). Each of distances 604A,604B, 604C and 604D had been measured by a measurement element (e.g., anelastic measurement element) located on (and/or in) a sleeve or the likeas described herein. The location of each of distances 604A, 604B, 604Cand 604D corresponds to a respective location on the limb of the person.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, a display 612 (e.g., on a computer monitor, atablet or the like) presents a geometric profile 611 of a limb of aperson. The geometric profile 611 is defined by distances 614A, 614B,614C and 614D (see the dashed lines in FIG. 6B). Each of distances 614A,614B, 614C and 614D had been measured by a measurement element (e.g., anelastic measurement element) located on (and/or in) a sleeve or the likeas described herein. The location of each of distances 614A, 614B, 614Cand 614D corresponds to a respective location on the limb of the person.In one embodiment, the measurements for geometric profile 601 had beentaken at a first point in time and the measurements for geometricprofile 611 had been taken at a second point in time that is differentfrom the first point in time. For example, the first point in time couldhave been a particular day, and the second point in time could have beena certain number of days, weeks, or months later. In another example,the first point in time could have been a particular hour, and thesecond point in time could have been a certain number of hours later. Inanother example, the first point in time could have been a particularminute, and the second point in time could have been a certain number ofminutes later.

Referring now to FIG. 6C, a display 622 (e.g., on a computer monitor, atablet or the like) presents the geometric profile 611 (see FIG. 6B) ofthe limb of the person. The geometric profile 611 in this FIG. 6C isagain defined by distances 614A, 614B, 614C and 614D (see the dashedlines in FIG. 6C). The geometric profile 611 includes, in thepresentation of FIG. 6C, a shaded area 630 that identifies thedifference between geometric profile 611 and geometric profile 601. Inthis example, geometric profile 611 includes the additional area 630that is not included in geometric profile 601. In other examples, thesecond geometric profile may be smaller than the first geometricprofile. Further, in other examples, the first and second geometricprofiles can have different shapes.

Referring now to FIG. 7A, measurement device 702 operates as anelectronic version of a tape measure. The measurement device 702 uses aflexible magnetically encoded tape 706 and an encoder. A tool that issometimes used in an industrial setting (to measure accuratedisplacement) is typically utilized by traversing an encoder along afixed tape. For limb circumference measurement as described herein, theapplication could be reversed, to where the magnetically encoded tape706 moves along a fixed encoder. The magnetically encoded tape 706 canbe on a reel inside the device (similar to a standard tape measure). Asthe magnetically encoded tape 706 is pulled out of the reel, themagnetically encoded tape 706 slides along the encoder. As themagnetically encoded tape 706 is wrapped around the limb (and iscontacted to (and/or connected with)) the opposite side of themeasurement device 702, the encoder keeps track of the amount ofmagnetically encoded tape 706 that has passed. As the magneticallyencoded tape 706 contacts (and/or connects with) the opposite side ofthe device, a circumference value is interpreted by the MCU(microcontroller unit), based on the length of magnetically encoded tape706 that has passed along the encoder. The measurement value is thendisplayed and/or sent over the COM (communication module) to a remotedevice and/or to the cloud.

Referring now to FIG. 7B, depicted is an illustrative embodiment of adevice 752 used for measuring circumference (and/or diameter) of the arm750 (e.g., in the area of the wrist and forearm). In other embodiments,the device can be configured for use on a leg (and/or on other bodyparts). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, a knit cuff (e.g.,comprising cotton and/or other knit fabrics) contains elastic conductivestrips (760A, 760B, 760C, 760D, 760E, 760F). The elastic conductivestrips (760A, 760B, 760C, 760D, 760E, 760F) are located on a top (orouter) layer 754 of device 752. A corresponding plurality of conductivethreads (or traces) are located on a bottom (or inner) layer 756 ofdevice 752. The conductive threads are identified in FIG. 7B as 772A,772B, 772C, 772D, 772E, 772F. Each of conductive threads 772A, 772B,772C, 772D, 772E, 772F is stitched (through the device 752 to top layer754) to a first pole of a corresponding one of the elastic conductivestrips 760A, 760B, 760C, 760D, 760E, 760F. Each of a plurality of otherconductive threads (not shown) are stitched (through the device 752 totop layer 754) to a second pole of a corresponding one of the elasticconductive strips 760A, 760B, 760C, 760D, 760E, 760F. Call out number774 shows one such stitching between conductive thread 772B and elasticconductive strip 760B (the remaining stitches shown in FIG. 7B are notprovided with call out numbers). The conductive threads thus provideelectrical conductive paths from each of the poles of the elasticconductive strips to various electrical components (such as, forexample, those shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B and 7A).Hook-and-loop fastener loop portions 780A, 780B, 780C are attachable tocorresponding hook-and-loop fastener hook portions 770A, 770B, 770C tofirmly attach the device 752 to the person's hand/arm.

In one specific example, using a multiple layer configuration (e.g.,with elastic conductive strips on one side and conductive threads onanother side) may be useful where a very small gap is provided betweeneach end (or pole) of a particular elastic conductive strip (thusrendering the running of the conductive threads through the gap asdifficult).

As the arm morphology changes, each elastic conductive strip will expandor compress around the arm. As the elastic conductive strips change indimension, they will report different resistance values. The electronicswill interpret these resistance value changes into changes incircumference at the location of each elastic conductive strip. Themultiple circumference values along the length of the arm can giveinsight into the limb's morphology changes in response to (for example)swelling, arm movements, or other differential measurements. Increasingthe number of elastic conductive strips can give higher resolutionrepresentations of arm morphology.

In various embodiments, n number of measurement elements can be used tocollect data from n number of locations along a limb. In one specificexample, n can be an integer between 2 and 50 (inclusive). In onespecific example, the distance between each of the n number of adjacentmeasurement elements along the device can be a known or fixed distance(e.g., 0.5 inch). In another example, a device can be provided inmultiple sizes (e.g., child and adult or small, medium and large). Inone specific example, the spacing between measurement elements acrosssizes can be constant, with the number of measurement elements beinghigher for larger sizes (e.g., a child size device can be 5 inches long,use 5 measurement elements and have each adjacent measurement elementspaced 1 inch apart, while the corresponding adult size device can be 10inches long, use 10 measurement elements and have each adjacentmeasurement element spaced 1 inch apart). Decreasing the spacing betweenadjacent measurement elements can increase measurement resolution.

As described herein, various embodiments provide a device for measuringbody parts such as, for example: fingers (e.g., circumference and/ordiameter); arms (e.g., circumference and/or diameter); legs (e.g.,circumference and/or diameter); feet (e.g., circumference and/ordiameter); and/or toes (e.g., circumference and/or diameter). In onespecific example, a circumference and/or diameter of the upper arm inthe area of the triceps/biceps can be measured. In another specificexample, a circumference and/or diameter of the lower arm in the area ofthe forearm can be measured. In another specific example, acircumference and/or diameter of the upper leg in the area of the thighcan be measured. In another specific example, a circumference and/ordiameter of the lower leg in the area of the calf can be measured. Inanother specific example, a circumference and/or diameter of the neckcan be measured.

As described herein, various embodiments provide a device comprising anumber of elastic members, whereby stretching of each elastic memberchanges electrical properties which can be measured by the device.

As described herein, various embodiments provide a sleeve, a sock, acuff, or the like to fit over a body part and elastic resistors (and/orother elastic material) supported by the sleeve, sock, cuff, or the like(in or on) that can be stretched and the stretching can be measured viachanges to electrical properties so that the body part can be measured,such as a circumference of a calf or arm to detect swelling. Themeasurements can be provided to a display on the device, to a nurse's ordoctor's tablet and/or to the cloud. In one example, resistancemeasurements can be used. In other examples, other electrical (and/ormechanical) properties that change when a material is stretched can bemeasured and used for the circumference (and/or diameter)determinations.

In one embodiment, the elastic members are removable (and/or disposable)so that a number of uses and age of material does not affect themeasurement capabilities (e.g., does not affect the accuracy orrepeatability of the measurements). In one embodiment, the sleeve, sock,cuff, or the like and the elastic resistors can be adjustable to fitsmaller or larger body parts, such as elastic resistors which can beadjusted as to a point of connection to the sleeve, sock, cuff, or thelike (e.g., point of connection on the elastic resistor and/or point ofconnection on the sleeve, sock, cuff, or the like).

As described herein is a limb measurement tool that, in variousembodiments, uses multiple fixed (or predetermined) locations to give anaccurate measurement of, for example, arm or leg circumference (and/ordiameter).

By using a series of elastic resistors an ability to gather accuratemeasurement of arm or leg circumference (and/or diameter) is provided.The resistors can be placed inside a compressed sleeve that is placed ona patient's arm or leg. In one specific example, the patient puts thesleeve on his or her arm or leg and presses a button on the device,which calculates the measurement and then transmits the measurementsecurely into the cloud and/or to an electronic health record associatedwith the patient.

In another embodiment, a sleeve may be of a planar form, such that thesleeve can be rolled around the limb to form a cylindrical shape(similar to a typical blood pressure cuff). In one specific example, therolled sleeve may be maintained in the cylindrical form usinghook-and-loop fasteners, clips, snaps or the like.

In various embodiments, one or more statistical metrics can becalculated and/or output (e.g., to a display and/or to a storage). Thestorage can be, for example, on the cloud and/or in an electronic healthrecord associated with the patient.

In another embodiment, the statistical metric can be output via an audiospeaker.

In one example, the statistical metric comprises one of an arithmeticmean of first and second values (e.g., first and second circumferencevalues and/or first and second diameter values), a range of the firstand second values (e.g., first and second circumference values and/orfirst and second diameter values), or both.

In one example, the statistical metric comprises one of an arithmeticmean of a set of values (e.g., a set of circumference values and/or aset of diameter values), a mode of the set of values (e.g., a set ofcircumference values and/or a set of diameter values), a median of theset of values (e.g., a set of circumference values and/or a set ofdiameter values), a range of the set of values (e.g., a set ofcircumference values and/or a set of diameter values), or anycombination thereof.

As described herein, various embodiments provide a method ofcontinuously measuring limb circumference to monitor signs ofinflammation.

In one embodiment, the electronic components used to sample from themultiple channels of elastic measurement elements can comprise analogmultiplexers and/or shift registers.

In one embodiment, developer debugging may be provided (e.g., via aserver such as server 506 of FIG. 5).

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 800.Communication device 800 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B,3A, 3B, 5, 7A and/or 7B and can be configured to perform portions ofmethods 400, 430 and/or 460 of FIGS. 4A-4C.

Communication device 800 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 802 (herein transceiver 802), a user interface (UI) 804, apower supply 814, a location receiver 816, a motion sensor 818, anorientation sensor 820, and a controller 806 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 802 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 802 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 804 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 808 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device800. The keypad 808 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 800 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 808 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 804 can further include a display810 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 800. In anembodiment where the display 810 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 808 can be presented by way of the display 810 withnavigation features.

The display 810 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 800 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 810 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 810 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 800 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 804 can also include an audio system 812 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 812 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 812 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI804 can further include an image sensor 813 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 814 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 800 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 816 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 800 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 818can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 800 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 820 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device800 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 800 can use the transceiver 802 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 806 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 800.

Other components not shown in FIG. 8 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 800 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 806 of the communication device 800. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 800 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 800 to force thecommunication device 800 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 800 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 800 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 8. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure. The communication device 800 can be adapted to perform thefunctions of electronics unit 104, measurement unit 206, measurementdevice 502, remote device 504, server 506 and/or measurement device 702.It will be appreciated that the communication device 800 can alsorepresent other devices that can operate in systems described herein.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. Other embodiments can be used in the subjectdisclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 900 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as electronics unit 104, measurement unit 206,measurement device 502, remote device 504, server 506 measurement device702, device 752 and/or other devices of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 5,6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B and/or 8. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network 926) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in a server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may include a processor (or controller) 902(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 904 and a static memory 906, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 908. The computer system 900 mayfurther include a display unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 900may include an input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generationdevice 918 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 920. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units910 controlled by two or more computer systems 900. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 910, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 910.

The disk drive unit 916 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 922 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 924) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 924 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 904, the static memory 906, and/or within theprocessor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system 900. Themain memory 904 and the processor 902 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. Distributedprocessing environments can include multiple processors in a singlemachine, single processors in multiple machines, and/or multipleprocessors in multiple machines. It is further noted that a computingdevice such as a processor, a controller, a state machine or othersuitable device for executing instructions to perform operations ormethods may perform such operations directly or indirectly by way of oneor more intermediate devices directed by the computing device.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 922 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g., RFID,NFC), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 900. In one or more embodiments, information regardinguse of services can be generated including services being accessed,media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. Thisinformation can be obtained by various methods including user input,detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audiocontent), analysis of content streams, and so forth. The generating,obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to anauthorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, ananalysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associatedwith the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgementrequirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types ofdata, and so forth.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimizedAccordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a sleeve having a lengththat spans from a first end of the sleeve to a second end of the sleeve,the sleeve having a first non-expanded circumference at a first locationalong the length of the sleeve, and the sleeve having a secondnon-expanded circumference at a second location along the length of thesleeve; a first elastic measurement element attached to the sleeve atthe first location, the first elastic measurement element traversing afirst portion of the first non-expanded circumference; a second elasticmeasurement element attached to the sleeve at the second location, thesecond elastic measurement element traversing a second portion of thesecond non-expanded circumference; a processing system including aprocessor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations,the operations comprising: obtaining, from the first elastic measurementelement, a first value representative of a first expanded circumferenceof the sleeve at a point in time when the sleeve is disposed on a limbof a person; obtaining, from the second elastic measurement element, asecond value representative of a second expanded circumference of thesleeve at the point in time when the sleeve is disposed on the limb ofthe person; determining, based upon the first value and the secondvalue, a geometric profile along the limb; and outputting, to acomputing device, data representing the geometric profile, theoutputting of the data to the computing device enabling the computingdevice to present via a display a graphic visualization of a differencebetween the geometric profile and another geometric profile of the limbof the person that had been determined at another point in time that isdifferent from the point in time at which the geometric profile had beendetermined.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein: the first elasticmeasurement element comprises a first elastic resistive element, whereina first expansion of the first elastic resistive element provides afirst change in resistance that correlates to the first expansion of thefirst elastic resistive element; and the second elastic measurementelement comprises a second elastic resistive element, wherein a secondexpansion of the second elastic resistive element provides a secondchange in resistance that correlates to the second expansion of thesecond elastic resistive element.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein: thefirst elastic measurement element is disposed on the sleeve, the firstelastic measurement element is disposed in the sleeve, or anycombination thereof; and the second elastic measurement element isdisposed on the sleeve, the second elastic measurement element isdisposed in the sleeve, or any combination thereof.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the computing device comprises the display.
 5. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein: the first end of the sleeve is open and thesecond end of the sleeve is open, such that the sleeve is in a form of acuff or an arm band.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein: the first end ofthe sleeve is open and the second end of the sleeve is closed, such thatthe sleeve is in a form of a sock or a glove.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the difference between the geometric profile and the anothergeometric profile is shown as a shaded area.
 8. A machine-readablestorage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed bya system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations,the operations comprising: obtaining a first plurality of circumferencemeasurements, each of the first plurality of circumference measurementscorresponding to a respective first circumference around a limb of aperson at a respective one of a plurality of locations of the limb, eachof the first plurality of circumference measurements being obtained froma respective one of a plurality of elastic measurement elements that ispositioned at a respective one of the locations, and each of theplurality of elastic measurement elements being attached to a sleevethat has a length; determining, based upon the first plurality ofcircumference measurements, a first geometric profile along the limb;obtaining a second plurality of circumference measurements, each of thesecond plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to arespective second circumference around the limb of the person at therespective one of the plurality of locations of the limb, the firstplurality of circumference measurements being obtained at a first time,the second plurality of circumference measurements being obtained at asecond time, and the second time being after the first time;determining, based upon the second plurality of circumferencemeasurements, a second geometric profile along the limb; comparing thesecond geometric profile to the first geometric profile to generatedifference data between the second geometric profile and the firstgeometric profile; and presenting via a display a graphic visualizationof the difference data, the graphic visualization showing a differencebetween the first geometric profile existing at the first time and thesecond geometric profile existing at the second time.
 9. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein: each of theplurality of elastic measurement elements comprises an elastic resistiveelement such that for a given elastic resistive element an expansionthereof provides a change in resistance that correlates to theexpansion.
 10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein:the first plurality of circumference measurements equals X number ofmeasurements; the plurality of locations equals X number of locations;the plurality of elastic measurement elements equals X number of elasticmeasurement elements; and X is an integer between 2 and 50, inclusive.11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the systemcomprises the display.
 12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim8, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting datarepresenting the first geometric profile to a remote device.
 13. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the remote devicecomprises a database, and wherein the data representing the firstgeometric profile is stored in the database in association with anidentity of the person.
 14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim8, wherein each of the plurality of elastic measurement elements isdisposed on the sleeve, each of the plurality of elastic measurementelements is disposed in the sleeve, or any combination thereof.
 15. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein each of theplurality of elastic measurement elements comprises a resistance elementhaving a first electrical resistance in an elongated state and a secondelectrical resistance in a non-elongated state, wherein the firstelectrical resistance is different from the second electricalresistance.
 16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein:the first end of the sleeve is open and the second end of the sleeve isclosed, such that the sleeve is in a form of a sock or a glove; or thefirst end of the sleeve is open and the second end of the sleeve isopen, such that the sleeve is in a form of a cuff or an arm band. 17.The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the differencebetween the first geometric profile and the second geometric profile isshown as a shaded area.
 18. A method comprising: obtaining, by a systemincluding a processor, a first value representative of a first expandedcircumference of a sleeve at a point in time when the sleeve is disposedon a limb of a person, the first value being obtained from a firstelastic measurement element that is attached to the sleeve at a firstlocation along a length of the sleeve, and the first elastic measurementelement traversing a first portion of the first expanded circumferenceof the sleeve; obtaining, by the system, a second value representativeof a second expanded circumference of the sleeve at the point in timewhen the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person, the second valuebeing obtained from a second elastic measurement element that isattached to the sleeve at a second location along the length of thesleeve, and the second elastic measurement element traversing a secondportion of the second expanded circumference of the sleeve; determiningby the system, based upon the first value and the second value, ageometric profile along the limb, the geometric profile being in a formthat presents a first distance and a second distance, the first distancebeing associated with the first location, the second distance beingassociated with the second location, the first distance being a firstdiameter of the limb at the first location, and the second distancebeing a second diameter of the limb at the second location; andoutputting by the system, to a display device, data to display a graphicvisualization of a difference between the geometric profile and anothergeometric profile of the limb of the person that had been determined atanother point in time that is different from the point in time at whichthe geometric profile had been determined.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the first location along the length of the sleeve corresponds toa first location along the limb, and wherein the second location alongthe length of the sleeve corresponds to a second location along thelimb.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the difference between thegeometric profile and the another geometric profile is shown as a shadedarea.